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Developed by Paula Tallal, Fast ForWord® is distributed by Scientific Learning Corporation. Address: 300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94612-2040. Email: customerservices@scilearn.com. Web: http://www.scilearn.com. Telephone: (888) 665-9707. Fax: (510) 444-3580. The program can be purchased from local Fast ForWord® providers listed in the searchable database on the Scientific Learning Corporation website.
Scope of use
The Fast ForWord® family of products entered the market with Fast ForWord® Language in 1997, Fast ForWord® Language to Reading in 1998, and Fast ForWord® to Reading in 2000. It has been used by more than 570,000 students in more than 3,700 schools nationwide.
Description of intervention
The Fast ForWord® Language and Fast ForWord® to Reading software packages use computer exercises develop and strengthen the cognitive processes necessary for reading. Fast ForWord® Language attempts to build fundamental cognitive skills of memory, attention, processing, and sequencing in the context of key language and reading skills, including listening accuracy, phonological awareness, and language structures. According to the developers' website, Fast ForWord® to Reading is designed to improve cognitive skills through exercises focused on sound-letter comprehension, phonological awareness, beginning word recognition, and English language conventions. As students listen through headphones and respond using the mouse, the software adapts to individual skill levels and responses, adjusting the learner's content exposure and difficulty of items presented so that the student responds correctly approximately 80% of the time. The developer suggests intensive use either for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for 12 to 16 weeks or for 90-100 minutes a day, five days a week, for four to eight weeks. All children start at the same basic level and advance only after attaining a predetermined level of proficiency. The rate at which a child progresses through the program is thus determined by the child.
Cost
A single license for Fast ForWord® Language is $900, with discounts available for multiple licenses. Each license for Fast ForWord® to Reading is $500, with no quantity discount.
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